"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it."Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

"Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate."

"If we succumb to the temptation of using violence in our struggle for justice, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate life of bitterness, and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos" (which is where the human species finds itself at the present moment).

"There is a voice crying into the vista of time saying to every potential Peter, 'put up your sword'. History is replete with the bleached bones of nations and communities that failed to follow this command."

The little determined critter is boldly saying, "I'm not going down without a fight." "You can't swallow me if I have you by the neck, so brother, we're at an impasse!"

This is what life is about. We've all heard the cliches, such as, "Into each life some rain must fall," "It's always darkest before the storm."

"This too shall pass," and so many more. But don't you hate when people start using these bromides?

You know they are true; they've withstood the test of time, but it's not really what you want to hear at that particular time.

In your mind you're thinking, "sure, that's easy for you to say, you're not in my predicament so get the hell out of my face." That's what you want to say but you don't. You just say thank you and go back to being miserable.

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it."Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

"Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate."

"If we succumb to the temptation of using violence in our struggle for justice, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate life of bitterness, and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos" (which is where the human species finds itself at the present moment).

"There is a voice crying into the vista of time saying to every potential Peter, 'put up your sword'. History is replete with the bleached bones of nations and communities that failed to follow this command."

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it."Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.

"Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate."

"If we succumb to the temptation of using violence in our struggle for justice, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate life of bitterness, and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos" (which is where the human species finds itself at the present moment).

"There is a voice crying into the vista of time saying to every potential Peter, 'put up your sword'. History is replete with the bleached bones of nations and communities that failed to follow this command."

The blue-eyed 'Michelangelo' portrait of Jesus is no more than a character in a Roman story; just as Horus (3000 BCE) is a character in an Egyptian story; like Attis (1200 BCE) and Dionysus (500 BCE) are mythical deities of Greek folklore; like Mithras (1200 BCE) is a character in a Persian story; and Krishna (900 BCE) of India, similar to the "Christian Anointed One," was miraculously born of the virgin 'Devaki'.

The pre-Christian myths were all told "Before the Common Era" (BCE). The Jesus apocrypha dates back to the start of the "Common Era" (CE). The character, as delineated above, is a a composite of different entities. The Jesus Christ myth was created at the First Council of Nicaea; a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325 CE.

Both Mithras, Christ, and myriad other pre-Christian deities were depicted as 'the Way,' 'the Truth,' 'the Light,' 'the Life,' 'the Word,' 'the Son of God,' 'the Good Shepherd.' The Christian litany to Jesus could easily be an allegorical enumeration to the sun-god. Mithras is often represented as carrying a lamb on his shoulders, just as the character Jesus in the image above right.

The Top Ten Things Dead People Want to Tell YOU

If you're dealing with truth, "you don’t have to know who turned on a light in a darkened room to make use of that light."

The way you’ll know it’s the truth is that it will make sense logically, intellectually, and emotionally, which is not too often the case given the versions or pseudo facsimiles of the truth, bandied about in millennia gone by.

Once you discover truth, you will feel liberated, empowered, cogent, joyful, loving, and any confusion will be banished.

"There’s no trace of a God in the afterlife as depicted by nearly every religion. Which is really great news when you consider how most religions depict God. Of course there is a God, just not like the one taught by the blind who lead the blind."

Brief sentences:Poor sentence structure usually originates from long, drawn out, awkward sentences. Keep your sentences brief, concise, and make your point in as few words as possible.

Write like you talk:The novice writer tends to go overboard with trying to make a point. A rule of thumb to follow for any writer, with or without experience, is to write like you talk. If what you've put on paper would not make sense in conversation, don't write it down. Stop trying to be Mark Twain and just write in plain English (or whatever language you happen to be writing in).

Present tense, second person:Present tense, second person writing is the most professional way to appeal to the reader. Use "you" as often as possible and eliminate "I" and "Me" altogether.

Don't bore the reader: Blah, blah, blah; the readers have heard it all before, and read numerous boring pieces just like yours. Add spice and controversy to what you write, especially if you're writing fiction.

Know your audience: There are a plethora of categories to write under. Whichever one you choose make sure you know a little something about this particular genre. This way you're not writing to a sector that is not interested in what you're writing about.

Outline:An outline does not need to be complex. It's only for your eyes and should consist of a rough draft introduction, numbered bullet points, and a brief close. That's it. Use this outline to create your article or short story.

Tell stories and paint pictures:Your job as a writer is to tell a story or paint a picture. The blank piece of paper or blank word document is your canvas. Be descriptive and use examples. Describe what may be unfamiliar by using the familiar. For example: "John's first day at work reminded him of the awkwardness he experienced on his first day of school." Find cleaver ways to get the reader to see your point without being monotonous.

Write extensively: Make it part of your daily ritual to write. Many of the writing sites on the Internet give you a little reward for writing without missing a day. It amounts to a virtual "pat on the back" but its recognition nonetheless. It's also a good way to stay focused and improve your writing skills. Practice makes perfect.

Read voraciously:Read as often as you can. Read the works of talented writers like Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison, Charles Dickens, and Jean-Paul Sartre. It doesn't matter whether you like their work or not, the key is to get a grasp of their writing style and use it to enhance your skills.

Six sentences or less: Long paragraphs with more than five or six sentences can be intimidating to the reader. Paragraphs with less than six sentences break up the page and make the article appear less formidable to the reader.

Eliminate distractions: Eliminate all distractions when writing. Find a quiet spot and make it your writing sanctuary. Some writers can write with music playing others cannot. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Sit in a chair that allows for maximum back support and comfort.

No CAPITAL letters:Capital letters tend to express anger in writing. Writing in caps is also a sign of an inexperienced writing. The only capital letters in your articles should be at the beginning of every sentence and direct questions in quotes (see "Capitalization Rules").

Active verbs:Active verbs are more engaging to the reader. These type words help the writer to get her point across more succinctly. Many people shy away from the use of active verbs because they are attempting to take up space. Ultimately, keeping the message short and sweet, serves the author better in the long run.

Write down ideas:Throughout the day various constructive thoughts come to us but we don't capitalize on them by writing it down. Pen and pad should be available at all times because this keeps your writing fresh and innovative.

Strong introduction and conclusion: The most critical parts of any article or short story are the introduction and the conclusion. In the intro you want to capture the reader's attention. Captivate your audience and make them want more. In the end, summarize, tie lose ends together, and leave them fulfilled, but wanting more.

Rules for Using Semicolons

A semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon is used to join two or more ideas (parts) in a sentence, those ideas are then given equal position or rank.

Example: Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil.

Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases.

Example: However they choose to write, people are allowed to make their own decisions; as a result, many people swear by their writing methods.

Use a semicolon between items in a list or series if any of the items contain commas.

Example: There are basically two ways to write: with a pen or pencil, which is inexpensive and easily accessible; or by computer and printer, which is more expensive but quick and neat.

Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction if the clauses are already punctuated with commas or if the clauses are lengthy.

Example: Some people write with a word processor, typewriter, or a computer; but others, for different reasons, choose to write with a pen or pencil.

Avoid using a comma when a semicolon is needed:

Incorrect: The cow is brown, it is also old.
Correct: The cow is brown; it is also old.

Using "Furthermore" in a Sentence

"Furthermore" is an adverb that can be used within a sentence to denote additional information. Synonyms are "besides" and "what's more."

Example: The car I considered purchasing was getting rusty, furthermore its breaks were fading.

"Furthermore" can also be used to begin a sentence that is providing additional information.

Example: I believe that I can complete the marathon in under 3 hours. Furthermore, I believe that I can win it.

The word is typically used in formal language within legal and academic texts.

Ask a question - Think about the topic you'd like to write about and ask questions about it. Ask as many as you can think of. Then, all you have to do is answer them.

Start with one word - Think of a good word to start out with. Add another word. Add more words until you make a sentence. Add some more sentences. Make a paragraph. Add some more paragraphs. Before you know it, you'll have something.

Ask for help - Ask someone for advice. Moms are great at giving advice. Anyone will do for advice.

Research - Go on Bing Search Engine, try Wikipedia, open an almanac, or go to a library. There's a lot you can find if you look.

Be Unique - Look for the biggest, smallest, newest, oldest, most expensive, least expensive... you get the point.

Make Connections - Think of a person and something that you don't usually think goes together. How might they fit?

Numbers - How can numbers affect what you are thinking about?

Make a list - Think about what you know about a subject. Create a list, outline, or mind-map.

Adapt - Think of something you know about and adapt it to something you are thinking about.

Ask one question - Think of a really good question and ask several people. Ask the same direct, open-ended question. If you put together enough responses, you'll have something good to write about.

Write To Accomplish

A carefully constructed, concise, grammatically correct, letter can get things done. Letters have been written that have caused incompetent people to lose jobs, as well as competent people to get jobs.

Letters have been written that have changed the dynamics of a city; letters have been written to alter the outcome of court cases. If you're a participant of a legal battle you're warned not to write the judge because he or she must remain unbiased, but a well constructed, non-threatening letter, outlining your case, actually won't hurt. It will get you reprimanded but by that time it's been read and the psyche of the reader has already been affected. It's been done countless times throughout history. Therefore, never underestimate the power of the pen.